PNCLL Wednesday Wrap-up: Goodbye February

After an exciting 2013 season of PNCLL play, where Oregon State clinched the Division I title and Western Oregon clinched the Division II title, MCLA seasons are in full-speed and PNCLL action is underway.

Below are the PNCLL DI teams in order of how the currently stand in the rankings and my comments on their position.

Division I

Idaho
Starting off with a 1-0 season, Idaho is currently holding first place. Even though their only win is off of a Division II team, Central Washington, don’t take them lightly. Even though I don’t think they are ready yet to compete with the big boys of D1, it will still be interesting to see what they can do to stir things up in the PNCLL this year.

Simon Fraser
Second in the PNCLL, Simon Fraser has a 3-1 record with a 2-0 conference record. This team has started with the best play in the PNCLL so far. Winning against three competitive teams and barely losing by one goal to a MCLA powerhouse and 2013 final four contender, BYU.

Oregon StatePhoto Credit: Robert White

Third in the PNCLL with a 2-1 record, Oregon State has a mild PNCLL champion hangover. They haven’t had an easy beginning of the season, but losing to Arizona in their second game has got me a little worried about their championship repeat hopes.

Montana
Fourth in the PNCLL, Montana has had a very interesting season so far. With only two games played, it’s hard to tell where they are at. They have lost to their PNCLL powerhouse rivals Oregon, but they also beat a respectable DII Portland team. This squad from Missoula has a very interesting future ahead of them.

Oregon
Finally, the Oregon Ducks. Consistently one of the best teams of this decade for the PNCLL, Oregon has not been particularly shinning lately. Starting off with two easy home wins and then two rough road loses, Oregon has got to change things up. Losing to two MCLA powerhouses by seven points each is not helping their playoff cause.

Washington State
Showing some new life in fallball, Washington State is slowly improving. Starting off 2-3 with a wide variety of opponents, I think it’s safe to say that they are beginning to creep back up in the PNCLL standings. I can’t wait to see how their game against Idaho goes on March 1st.

Boise StatePhoto Credit: Shawn Carmen

Losing to Montana State in a winter scrimmage pretty much set the tone for the Broncos. They’re 1-2 with one win against Portland State. These boys better saddle up and show up to play against Montana after their three week break, or else they could be in for a long season.

Portland State
Just yikes… With a combined offense of 14 points through four games, the Vikings need to find their scoring mojo. With a tough game against Oregon State on March 1st, I think PSU could potentially be able to bounce back and beat Whitman the next day.

Washington
Last in the PNCLL, Washington has started with a 0-3 run. Each of these loses have been respectable, but the Huskies need to start winning to get some hope back for their 2014 season.

Forget those rankings, they don’t mean anything! I’d like to rearrange it a bit…